blood clots

Hi, everyone.

I'm 27.  My mom has been somewhat hesitant about my surgery process, and I found out last night it's because of what happened to my cousin.  Back in 1997, my cousin, who was 24, broke her arm.  She had to have two surgeries to fix it.  Immediately after the second surgery, a blood clot from the surgery travelled to her heart and killed her.  She wants me to make it very clear to my surgeon and the hospital staff that this is a risk for me, so they can give me blood thinners.

My cousin was on birth control.  I'm not.  While I'll admit that the reminder that this happened to my cousin has scared me, I'm also concerned about being administered blood thinners that I don't need and then bleeding to death all over the place.

Do you guys have any advice?

Everyone (as far as I know) is given a shot each day in the hospital of some sort of blood thinner. Some people need to take them when they get out of the hospital too.

That's a relief, thank you!

What happened to your cousin was horrible. 

Blood clots are definitely a risk factor in any surgery and WLS  being no different.  It was my experience that I was giving a shot ( somewhat painful in the leg ) just before surgery to help with this possibility.  I was also given needles in the hospital, and sent home provided with 7 days worth of needles to give to myself in the stomach.  This is just common practice a many hospitals to make the risk as minimal as possible.  They will also encourage you to walk as soon as possible and keep moving to also reduce this risk.

Your mom has a point.....with the tragedy that your family experienced... you should speak with your surgeon and medical personnel and make sure all your questions are answered and that you feel comfortable with the possible risks before committing to this process.   

Thanks so much for the info.  I'll definitely mention it to my surgeon.

I am not sure what hospital you are out of but at TWH they gave me a blood thinner every day to prevent clotting. Being active also helps as well. It is really unfortunate what happened to your cousin but I think it was an isolated incident that could happen to anyone. The risks are fairly low I would think. Good luck!

As you point out, certain types of birth control (and smoking) are risk factors for development of blood clots. Even sitting with your legs crossed constantly can increase your risk. As others mention, everyone gets blood thinners and this is also why they want you to walk as soon as possible post-op. Sitting/laying in one position also increases the risk. 

Hopefully this doesn't scare you. I'm just mentioning that a lot if things we do in our daily lives could lead to blood clots. With any surgery you have to decide if the benefits are greater than the risks.

im sorry for the passing of your cousin. My friend died from a complication during a routine tonsillectomy. Needless to say, when it was my turn for a tonsillectomy my mom was not pleased. 

Good luck and trust that you will make the decision that Is. Right for you.